Iran has unveiled a new computer game named Mir-Mahna, which is based on the biography of an Iranian hero who fights against colonial forces in Iran back in the 1740s.
Iranian national hero, Mir-Mahna defeated the Dutch forces and liberated southern islands of Iran at the end of the reign of Nader Shah Afshar (1736-1747).
Traditional music and using modern ways of motion capture, which make motions and scenes of the game more natural, are among the features of this national game, Presstv reported.
The Mir-Mahna game, which took almost two years to complete is the first Iranian game about the life of a contemporary Iranian hero and the second game after ‘Garshasp Gorz-e-Serit’.
Garshasp Gorz-e-Serit is a legendary Iranian hero, which is a third person Action-adventure game, taking place in mythological ancient Persia, in a world occupied by monsters.
“The game Mir-Mahna took almost two years to complete. A team of 20 young game specialists and graphic designers joined hands in this project,” Manager of Mir-Mahna project Moreteza Rezaei said.
“Technically in terms of graphic design and shadow processing we have attained global standards, but we believe that we can do much better in the future,” Technical director of Mir-Mahna project Behnam Aqajani said.
Although Mir-Mahna has recently been unveiled, it has already been welcomed in different international game expos.
The developers of the Mir-Mahna game believe that the national game is a means to introduce the Iranian culture and civilization worldwide.
The Mir-Mahna game is expected to become available in European markets in the near future.

‘King’s Speech’ Crowned With Oscars Gold

Royal drama ‘The King’s Speech’ was crowned with Oscars gold on Sunday, taking three of the top Academy Award prizes, including best actor for self-mocking Englishman Colin Firth.
According to AFP, the movie grabbed the coveted best film and best director awards as well as Firth’s gong for his portrayal of a stammering King George VI, helped by an Australian voice coach to rally wartime Britain.
Best original screenplay completed a four-Oscar haul--the same as hi-tech thriller ‘Inception’ and ‘The Social Network’, which had a disappointing night after being tipped as possible best film.
Screenwriter David Seidler used his acceptance speech to jokingly thank Queen Elizabeth II, among others, as well as stutterers everywhere.
“I would like to thank Her Majesty the Queen for not putting me in the Tower of London” for putting swear words in George VI’s mouth. “And I accept this on behalf of all the stutterers throughout the world.
“We have a voice, we have been heard,” said Seidler, who himself suffered from a stammer, echoing a line from the movie.
‘The Social Network’, nominated in eight Oscars categories, ended up going home with only three, and none of the major ones: film editing, original score and adapted screenplay for screenwriter Aaron Sorkin.
‘Inception’, starring Leonardo DiCaprio as a hired hand who penetrates people’s dreams, won four Oscars: cinematography, visual effects, sound mixing and sound editing, while Natalie Portman, as expected, won best actress for her role in disturbing ballet thriller ‘Black Swan’.
Boxing movie ‘The Fighter’ took two gongs--best supporting actor for Christian Bale, and best supporting actress for Melissa Leo, who had both been favorites to win.
In a rare edgy moment on an otherwise drama-free night, Leo’s use of the F-word in her acceptance speech had to be cut out of the time-delayed broadcast.
“I had no idea, I apologize to anyone I offended,” she later said.
‘The King’s Speech’ director Tom Hooper related the extraordinary story of how he only came to make the movie thanks to the help of his Australian mother, who was in the audience.
In other prizes, ‘Toy Story 3’, the third installment of the family-friendly franchise starring Woody, Buzz Lightyear and co. won best animated feature Oscar as expected.
And the best foreign film prize went to ‘In a Better World’ by Denmark’s star director Susanne Bier, who vanquished movies from Algeria, Canada, Greece and Mexico.
The Oscars is the culmination of the multi-billion movie industry’s awards season and has been preceded by months of frantic campaigning for the coveted gold statuettes.
The ceremony marked the second year that 10 films were competing for the best picture prize, up from five previously. The academy expanded the category in a bid to include more popular films. This year, most of the top contenders crossed the $100 million mark at the box office.

Poland Awards ‘A Beautiful Snowy Day’

The Iranian short film, ‘A Beautiful Snowy Day’, won one of five special prizes at the 14th International Film Festival Zoom--Zblizenia, which took place in Poland from February 15-20.
The film, which was directed by Mahaya Petrossian and Amir Tuderusta, depicts one day in the life of a woman and her child, in which she has to make an important decision, Mehr News Agency said.
In the film, actress Petrossian, made her directorial debut and she also wrote the film’s screenplay. She plays the leading role in the movie as well.
She drew inspiration from ‘Someone Else’s Child’, a short story by Iranian prominent writer Jalal Al-e Ahmad, to write the screenplay.
“I was very eager to play the role of the woman in the story in order to demonstrate my ability in acting which has not been seen thus far,” she added.
Atila Pesyani, Sadeq Safaii, Maedeh Tahmasbi and Mohammad Sadr are the other members of the cast.
‘Cigarettes And Songs’ directed by Marek Šulik and Jana Kovalcikova from Slovakia, and Ivana Bošnjak from Norway, ‘A Frog Choir’ directed by Tibor Kruljac and ‘Summer at the Beach’ directed by Barbara Radman, both from Croatia, won the other four special awards at the festival.
Another Iranian film ‘When a Line of Light Shines’ directed by Shahriar Purseyyedian was also among 73 films reviewed in the competition section at the festival.

Egyptian Students Rally For Return of Tourists

As hundreds of Egyptian college students rallied at the iconic pyramids of Giza Friday to promote tourism, camel guide Salah Shabani stood to the side and looked on with sadness.
It’s been two weeks since a popular uprising forced President Hosni Mubarak from power, but there has been no return of the crowds of foreigners who come to gaze at the pyramids and get their picture on a camel, AP said.
“I used to make 600 Egyptian pounds ($102) a week, or more,” said Shabani, 23, who has given visitors rides on his camel, Oscar, since he was a teenager. “Now there is nothing. There are no tourists.”
Shabani, who married two months ago, said he worries he won’t be able to support his wife and has doubts about having children. He said he didn’t regret the uprising--many Egyptians are still savoring a victory that has captured the attention of people around the world and sparked similar protests across the Middle East--but the reality that it could have negative consequences has set in.
Tourism in this tourist Mecca known for pyramids, mummies, colorful markets and the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh has all but come to a halt since the uprising began in January and eventually forced Mubarak out on February 11.
About 210,000 tourists fled the country in the last week of January, costing Egypt about $178 million, according to the government’s statistics bureau, and cancellations for February add up to an estimated revenue loss of $825 million.
That is a lot for a nation that gets 5 percent to 6 percent of its gross domestic product from tourism, according to several estimates. As many as 2 million Egyptians work in tourism.

Bonhams to Sell Unique Portrait Of Mughal Emperor

Unique Lifesize Portrait of Mughal Emperor Estimated to Sell for 1M at Bonhams
The largest known Mughal painting is to be offered at Bonhams on April 5th for an estimated price of upwards of £1m. It is in the style of a European portrait of the early 17th century, Art Daily wrote.
The portrait which will lead a sale of works of Indian and Islamic art is a unique painting of the Mughal Emperor Jahangir who ruled India 1605-1627 and is attributed to the Mughal artist Abul Hasan, Nadir Al-Zaman or “Wonder of the Age”.
Previously shown in the National Portrait Gallery in an exhibition on the Indian Portrait in 2010, the Emperor is shown seated on a gold decorated throne holding a globe, wearing elaborate robes and jewelry. The surrounding Persian inscription states it was painted at Mandu in the AH1026/AD1617.
Alice Bailey, Head of Indian and Islamic Art at Bonhams comments, “This is one of the rarest and most desirable 17th century paintings ever to come to auction. There is no other work of its kind known and its importance cannot be underestimated. The extraordinary detail and complexity of the painting both fascinate and bewitch the viewer.’